Hypocrisy is a Swedish death metal band formed in October 1991 in Ludvika b… Read Full Bio ↴Hypocrisy is a Swedish death metal band formed in October 1991 in Ludvika by Peter Tägtgren. After spending three years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1990, founder Peter Tägtgren returned to his homeland of Sweden, to form his own band. Hypocrisy's early releases were noted as being well-executed death metal, but panned for not being particularly innovative. That criticism waned as the band matured, cultivating a more distinctive sound as well as employing an introspective lyrical approach. Later releases have a more atmospheric sound, with lyrical exploration of aliens and abduction experiences.

Tägtgren's experience as a producer may also have led to the band's change in musical direction, as he is more closely involved with many other bands while producing their albums.

After twice cancelling a U.S. tour in 2009, Hypocrisy confirmed a North American tour for 2010. Joining them on the "Long Time, No Death" tour were Scar Symmetry, Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle. From January to March 2010, they toured Germany, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, finishing in Moscow. Their North American tour took place in May 2010.

On 14 October 2011, Hypocrisy released a DVD called Hell Over Sofia - 20 Years of Chaos and Confusion. It contains a full concert from the "Long Time, No Death" tour. The DVD also contains a one and a half-hour documentary about the band. On 10 November 2011, Mikael Hedlund announced writing material for a new studio album during an interview with Metal Shock Finland's chief editor, Mohsen Fayyazi. Mikael tells Metal Shock Finland:

It's too early to say what it's going to sounds like, but all I can say is that it's not gonna be any change of style. It will be a classic HYPOCRISY album without [any] compromises. We already got some material and we're really looking forward to enter the studio again. We don't know yet when it will [be], but hopefully after the summer 2012. Nothing is confirmed yet. We're doing the Metalfest tour [of Europe] in May/June plus some other festivals. That's the plans at the moment.

In early 2012 the band began to write new material for a follow up to A Taste of Extreme Divinity. On 21 December 2012 Hypocrisy announced that the title of the upcoming album is End of Disclosure. It was released on 22 March 2013.

Hypocrisy's thirteenth studio album, and first in eight years, Worship was released on 26 November 2021. The album was preceded by a music video for the first single "Chemical Whore". It was later elected by Loudwire as the 32nd best metal song of 2021. On 5 April 2022, via the band's official Facebook page, the band announced the departure of Horgh from the band. He was replaced a week later by Henrik Axelsson of The Crown.

Musical style and lyrical themes
Musically, the band started off with a traditional death metal sound on their early albums, but soon turned into a melodic death metal band. Their early lyrics – written by original vocalist Masse Broberg – dealt with anti-Christian themes and Satanism. The band later focused on themes such as the paranormal and extraterrestrials. Their tenth album, Virus, contains themes more typical of death metal such as violence, the horrors of reality, insanity, torture, war, drug addiction, and emotional strife. Their twelfth album, End of Disclosure, uses conspiracy and anti-Illuminati themes.

Studio albums
Penetralia (1992)
Osculum Obscenum (1993)
The Fourth Dimension (1994)
Abducted (1996)
The Final Chapter (1997)
Hypocrisy (1999)
Into the Abyss (2000)
Catch 22 (2002)
The Arrival (2004)
Virus (2005)
A Taste of Extreme Divinity (2009)
End of Disclosure (2013)
Worship (2021)

A Coming Race
Hypocrisy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Why all this searching?
The answer's always been near.
It is our destiny.
Away from a screeching people.
Waiting to destroy ourselves.
They can't interfere with history.

Nuclear creation. For eternity

(Looking for others) (they can't be strained/that can't be seen)

All I wish they would land here.
But it's too late now.
Time is dying (I told you)
(We've fallen to our own decay)

[again]
[SOLO]
[scream]

In the other dimension.
Time will no longer exist.
No one never grow old.
Something mankind will never resist.
Try destroying it, (I told you)

[chorus x2]

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Hypocrisy's song, "A Coming Race," suggest a state of existential searching for meaning and purpose. The singer poses the question of why humans are constantly searching for answers, when the reality is that the answer has been near all along. It is our destiny as a species to lead ourselves away from destruction. The singer suggests that humanity possesses an inherent tendency to self-destruct, although the presence of a people who are screeching could imply that these negative influences can be silenced or avoided. The final line offers a hint of optimism, in that history proceeds as it must without the intervention of those who would harm it.

The song then moves on to describe nuclear creation, a reflection on the times in which the song was written, and human desire for contact with extraterrestrial beings. The singer expresses a wish for contact, but alas, it is too late, and time is running out for humanity. The phrase "fallen to our own decay" could suggest a kind of sentient participation in our demise, in which humanity ultimately caused the downfall of its own existence.

The final lines of "A Coming Race" offer a vision of an alternative dimension, in which time does not exist, and humanity is freed from the limitations and impermanence of the physical world. The chorus repeats the idea that humanity is heading towards an uncertain future, but the introduction of the idea that mankind will never resist the unknown suggests that there is still hope for our ultimate survival.

Line by Line Meaning

Why all this searching?
Why do we keep searching for answers when the solution has always been within arm's reach?

The answer's always been near.
The solution to our problems has always been close by, if only we looked in the right place.

It is our destiny.
Our fate is predetermined, and we are meant to fulfill a certain purpose.

Away from a screeching people.
We must move away from the chaotic and destructive nature of humanity.

Waiting to destroy ourselves.
We are on a path to self-destruction, and we must take action to prevent it.

They can't interfere with history.
No external force can change the course of history, it is up to us to shape our own destiny.

Nuclear creation. For eternity
The creation of nuclear weapons will have a lasting impact on the world.

(Looking for others) (they can't be strained/that can't be seen)
We seek to make contact with extraterrestrial life, but it may not be possible to find or see them.

All I wish they would land here.
The artist desires for extraterrestrial life to visit Earth.

But it's too late now.
It is too late to prevent the negative consequences of our own actions.

Time is dying (I told you)
The concept of time is gradually coming to an end, and the singer warned of this.

(We've fallen to our own decay)
Humanity has led itself down a path of destruction and decay.

[again]
Repeating the previous message, highlighting its importance.

[SOLO]
Musical interlude, no additional meaning.

[scream]
Exclamation of emotion, no additional meaning.

In the other dimension.
Exploring the idea of alternate dimensions or universes.

Time will no longer exist.
In this other dimension, time does not exist in the same way it does in our world.

No one never grow old.
In this world, aging is not a concept and immortality is possible.

Something mankind will never resist.
This concept is so desirable that humanity would never be able to resist it.

Try destroying it, (I told you)
Even if we wanted to, we would not be able to destroy this concept, as the artist has warned.